Donald Leon Braaten, the son of Elmer and Olga (Austriem) Braaten was born on December 8, 1934 in Rugby, North Dakota.  He died at the age of 77 years on Friday, September 21, 2012 at the Towner County Living Center in Cando, North Dakota.

Donald was raised in the rural Wolford, North Dakota home of his parents where he attended grade school at the Juanita Country School then attended Wolford High School, graduating in the class of 1953.  After high school he attended telegraphy school for a time before enlisting in the U.S. Army.  Donald was honorably discharged from the army in 1962.  Following his military duties, Donald worked for the Great Northern Railroad for many years as a depot agent in North Dakota, Montana, Washington and Oregon.  After his retirement from the railroad, Donald spent some winters in Washington and Oregon with his brother Leroy and sister Evie.  After returning to North Dakota he farmed the family farm, where he was a proud 3^rd generation member of the Braaten family to live on the Pierce County Centennial farm that was homesteaded in 1900.  In later years, Donald worked at the Leonardo Pasta Plant in Cando.  For the past four years he has resided in assisted living facilities and at the Towner County Living Center in Cando until the time of his death.

Donald was proud of his Norwegian heritage, loved country living, old time country music, antiques and farm auction sales.  He loved music, dancing and whistling.  He played guitar, concertina and harmonica.  Donald was a member of Ox Creek Lutheran Church of rural Rolette, North Dakota until its closing.

Memorial services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 29th at the Anderson Funeral Home Chapel in Rugby with private burial services at a later date in the Ox Creek Cemetery, rural Rolette.  Rachel Johnson, Officiate.

Friends may greet the family for one hour prior to the time of services at the funeral home on Saturday.